Deadly Flash from the Past (Whispering Haven Cozy Mystery Book 3) by Ruth Baker

Author:Ruth Baker [Baker, Ruth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: CleanTales Publishing
Published: 2024-10-30T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

Harriet cracked the door open. A flash of relief sparked in the one visible eye, then she opened the door fully.

“Hi, Carol,” she said. “Sorry about that. Come on in.”

“Worried about the police?” Carol asked as she stepped into the foyer.

Harriet shook her head, hands trembling slightly as she closed the door. “Police are fine—well, as fine as they can be at the moment. But I’ve had a few nosy people poking around,” she explained.

“Fiona?” Carol asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Among others. Actually, Fiona wasn’t too bad. She was obviously snooping for gossip, but she seemed genuinely concerned at the same time. A few of the others…” she trailed off, a faraway look in her eye, but she shook her head, forcing a smile on her face.”

“The police let you go,” she reminded Harriet. “They didn’t have enough information to arrest you.” She didn’t add the word yet. “Otherwise you’d be in a cell right now.”

“No. But they did make it quite obvious that I was suspect number one.” Harriet heaved a sigh as they walked into the living room, where Eric sat reading a book. He glanced up when they entered, and slammed the book shut, tossing it without bothering to mark his spot.

“Hey, Carol,” he said. “Any word yet?” The hope in his face made her stomach ache with guilt. She wanted more than anything to give these two good news. Instead, the best she could provide was neutral.

“I’ve got a couple of leads,” Carol admitted, trying not to raise their hopes too much. “But right now, they’re sort of loose threads that have the potential to become something more. I was actually hoping that I could get a bit more information from the two of you, something that might either help absolve you, or shed some light on another suspect.”

“Of course.” Eric bobbed his head up and down. “Anything.”

“First things first.” Carol dipped her hand into her purse, withdrawing a cluster of photos from its depths. “I was hoping you could identify the man in these photos.”

Harriet didn’t take the photos at first. Her brow furrowed in confusion. “We know who it is,” she said. “It’s James.”

“Not that person. The one further back.”

Her forehead creasing even further, Harriet took the photos. She studied each of them, holding them close to her face, searching for any detail that might give her a clue as to the man’s identity. Carol held her breath, hoping against hope this might lead to something.

Then Harriet shook her head, and Carol exhaled in disappointment.

As Harriet passed the photos to Eric, she asked, “I’m sorry. I’ve never seen them before.” At Carol’s disappointed reaction, she asked. “Should I have?”

“It would have helped,” Carol admitted. “But it’s not your fault. What about you, Eric?”

But Eric was already shaking his head. “Sorry.” He handed back the photos. “How important is finding the guy? I can pass the pictures around, but he’s so far away I’m not sure it would do much good.”

“It looks like he’s trying to hide his face,” Harriet mused.

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